Solar Bears Talk Telepathy, Wilderness Adventures, And The Rising Dublin Scene

Solar Bears straddle the line between the cerebral and ecstatic. Meticulous in approach, Rian Trench and John Kowalski are also particularly attuned to their surroundings, looking for the moment that they can pluck a song from the ether. I recently spoke to Solar Bears about their new album Supermigration, various types of mind-altering events, the role film plays in their work, and the Dublin electronic music scene.

THUMP: How was Supermigration's writing and recording process different from She Was Coloured In?
Rian Trench: This time we developed a habit of going to the studio with just a bassline, for example, and letting ourselves react to it spontaneously. It took a long time to finish, but any time in the studio was very fluid. Some songs are adapted from music written years ago, which was new for us.

John Kowalski: We had a much larger sound library to draw on due to vinyl sampling. A track can stem from anything—sequencing, an old guitar riff. Working in a beautiful professional studio also made the recording aspect a vastly new experience.

Any experiences in particular influence the making of Supermigration?
RT: I often have ideas for tracks or melodies that John has had the night before or vise versa. It's happened a strange number of times. Sometimes it's even the exact same melody and sound.

I also had many inspiring experiences with the help of the Wicklow Mountains and things that grow there. I have a deep relationship with the place. It has a tangible personality and a distinctive and beautiful landscape. It asks you to simply let the mind wonder without restriction and discover. John and I make a habit of going for a walk when we want perspective on a track in the studio. Psilocybe Semilanceata grow on the mountains in autumn, and I use it seasonally for insight and creativity, which is an ancient tradition. The land has taught me many important lessons. It's part of who I am.

JK: For me the album title became prophetic for personal reasons. The female voice kept surfacing in arrangements, which wasn't planned, but it became a main focal point. I think seeing remote places on tour also altered my mind more than any drug could.

We played a festival in Zurich beside a lake and the setting and atmosphere were unique. It's stayed with me every since. I was also taken with Tromso, Norway. Hopefully we're lucky enough to return  and catch the northern lights. It's the same reason I watch foreign cinema: to increase my understanding and avoid conditioning.

What role do esoterica and psychedelic culture/visuals play?
JK: Most of my favorite art and music originated in psychedelic culture—it's embedded in my consciousness. We collaborated with Michael Robinson again to ensure people had a visceral reaction to the music, combined with freeform imagery.

RT: I have quite an affinity for psychedelic experiences. We both certainly want the songs to create sensory or emotional distortion and vividness. We like sounds to feel like colors and textures, and we'll often speak in those terms when writing tracks. This time there is a kind of esoteric reference in that we wanted some of the songs to feel like they have a kind of authority or power that comes from a unidentifiable place. A slightly unsettling presence.

Cinema is a big influence on Solar Bears' aesthetic. What sort of films may have consciously or subconsciously inspired the album?
JK: Gandahar by Rene Laloux and The White Ribbon. More recently we went to see The Master, which left us fairly thrown afterward. I think when you are unable to verbalize what you have just seen, you are onto something of importance. La Jetee is a movie I would ask people to seek out and revisit.

RT: I became obsessed with otherworldly female choirs that were used in late '60s, early '70s soundtracks as a way to generate feelings of awe and mystery. That's certainly one of the album's main features. We both got into much darker things. As a change of direction, we started to favor and discuss films that had unrelenting, ominous qualities. This definitely came through on the album. Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now was a film we talked about constantly.

Dublin electronic music is pretty incredible right now. Can you deconstruct why that is?
JK: Dublin's electronic scene has had incredible depth for years. The fact that [digital recording] media has changed means younger producers are more encouraged by possibility. There is a very supportive spirit between acts here that hopefully we continue to be a part of. So much kindness and courtesy has been shown to us since we began that it seems automatic to carry that forward.

RT: Ireland is a wonderful place to be a musician these days. There are strong amounts of compassion and encouragement between bands and artists. Nothing is shunned. And if it is a scene, it's an incredibly eclectic one.

Are there any artists or bands that should be essential listening?
RT: I love Lakker—they produce highly original stuff. Diamond Dagger just released a long-awaited EP. Ships write some great songs. I'm really excited for an album from Lasertom, a seriously gifted producer.

JK: Both of us are big fans of I Am The Cosmos, which Rian has worked with. Also, Lumigraph and New Jackson are starting to get the props they deserve. The best producer in the country, in my opinion, is Sunken Foal, who is something of a hidden gem.

Talk about your work with experimental filmmaker Michael Robinson on the Supermigration short film.
RT: Michael is one of a kind. It's such a privilege to work with him. We're staggered at how perfectly he understands our work. He brought out qualities in the record that simply wouldn't be there without him. There's a place that we all can visit, and he has the keys.

JK: It's pretty hard to put into words because he is not really like anybody else I have met. The project was very emotional for reasons I don't want to get into. He just has this ability to awaken things visually that are deeply personal and mystical. We are just as proud of the short film as we are the album.